Beauty Queen
by MidnightEmberMisery
Summary: Rumored to be starring alongside teen heartthrob Preston Dean in his next blockbuster movie, Teagan Avery is famous in her own right. A beauty queen with an ego, she's won pageants across the country and has become a household name. So what is she doing in some rinky-dink town in the middle of nowhere? The sad thing is that it was actually her idea…
1. An Exchanging of Words

Chapter 1 – An Exchanging of Words

_I h8 the rain_. I tapped the message out quickly, sending it without even caring about my shorthand. If Jules doesn't like it, that's too bad for her. I'm a busy girl with only a bit of time on my hands. Text-speak is quick and simple and doesn't need a lot of thought. It's an easy way to say what I mean in a small amount of space. A lot of people don't like texting lingo, but I love it.

My phone beeped loudly at me from my leather Coach purse. I whipped it out expertly, rolling my eyes at the reply. _Get used to it, girly. You're here for a month._ Does she really need to rub it in? As if I didn't realize that this trip was probably one of the stupidest decisions that I've ever made. What had possessed me to agree to this…expedition? I hated cold weather, I hated rain, I hated nature, and I hated small towns. This trip had clearly been the product of a bout of insanity.

_Where r u? Im tired of w8ing. _See how she likes that. I smirked in satisfaction as my nail clicked on the touch-screen phone's 'Send' button. I'll admit, I'm a rather impatient person, but it goes with the territory, just like the abbreviations. When you're someone like me, time is not something that you have a lot of. Juliette should know that by now.

I was sitting on an uncomfortable plastic chair near baggage claim. My four suitcases, all of which weighed individually about a quarter of my weight, were parked in front of me. They took up quite a bit of the walkway's space, but maybe people should learn to dodge. It's not that hard. They have a whole other half of a walkway, so why do they keep glaring at me like I've committed some sort of sin? I shrugged to myself. People are just stupid. Or maybe they're angry that I'm so much prettier than them. That's probably it.

"Teagan!" I heard someone shout my name, and I sighed to myself. It was probably a fan of mine wanting an autograph. I rose slowly, brushing off my favorite black Burberry pencil skirt, and scanned the area for the source of the summons. Thank God, it wasn't a deranged fan. Rather, it was the brunette loud-mouth that I considered my best friend. "Teagan!" she cried again, running towards me and swiftly maneuvering between the mass of people between us.

A few feet away from me, she launched herself in my direction. I'm a rather dainty person (just another part of the territory), so when Juliette Emerson crash-landed into my skinny frame, I toppled back onto my seat, my black Miu Miu patent-leather pumps providing no leverage for my poor feet. I uttered an unseemly "Oof!" sound as I found myself seated once again. At least my skirt was tight enough that no one would see my undergarments. It's the small things, you know.

"Jeez, Jules, how do you plan on competing again if you put on weight?" I asked, pushing her onto the chair next to mine. I slightly cringed, realizing that my comment could be considered as rather insensitive. Just like everyone said behind my back, my congeniality was only present on stage. Luckily for me, Juliette's only reaction was a small fit of giggling.

"Silly Teags! I'm not doing any more competitions. I told you already, I only participated in that one because my mom bribed me with a car, which I happened to drive here to pick you up, just so you know." Grinning, she righted herself in the seat. Her smile went from ear to ear, and I couldn't help but smile back. I couldn't remember the last time that someone was honestly this pleased to see me. It was a nice feeling.

"Are you sure you don't want to compete anymore? I mean, you seemed pretty okay with the idea when you were winning second place in Seattle," I reminded her, smiling back. Seattle had been a fun competition, not only because I'd won first again, but also because I'd met Juliette. And to think, I'd protested vehemently when Catherine had first brought up the idea. I reminded myself yet again to send her a fruit basket. Everyone loves fruit baskets.

"It's really not my thing," she explained, "I don't even know how I managed so well in front of all those people. I can barely stand up in front of my classmates for a presentation, and I've known most of them for the majority of my life. No, Seattle was a one-time thing, never to be repeated." This was a conversation that we'd already had several times before, so I knew that she was pretty firm in her decision. That didn't stop me from being upset about it, though. I really would've liked having a friend in the circuit, I think. Someone to gab and gossip with would've been a blessing.

"If you're sure –"

"I am. Now, get your little butt up," Juliette instructed as she ungracefully regained her standing position, "We have a four-hour long car ride ahead of us, and the sooner we get started, the better. I don't have a lot of stuff planned for while you're here, but one of the few things I'm dead-set on happens tonight. And I've already told you how I feel about being late."

This was true. Apparently, she came from a large family of procrastinators and late-arrivers. Rather than gain that shared trait, she'd ended up being the one person in her house that enjoyed punctuality and promptness. I bet that caused a lot of strife at times. This should be an interesting month, that's for sure.

I sighed again, this time for dramatic effect. "Fine. If you're that eager to return to your Podunk town, I guess I'm ready to go." Standing, I quickly brushed off my skirt again before grabbing the handles of two of my matching Louis Vuitton suitcases. "Grab the other two. I only have so many hands," I instructed as I began to make my way towards the exit.

"So now I'm your servant?" Juliette grumbled from behind me. Maybe this trip wasn't such a bad idea after all. If nothing else, I'd at least be able to work on my kindness and manners. Even I have some imperfections, as impossible as that may be to believe. And Catherine thought this was going to be a waste of time.

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**A/N: This is just a trial chapter for this fic. I'm contemplating writing more, but I'd like to know how you guys feel before I make a decision to continue. So please review with comments (good or bad, I take it all). If you're not a fan of author's notes, you can just stop here and review now. But if you don't mind or actually like author's notes, there's more below.**

**It feels weird to be writing a Twilight fic again. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it? If this is your first time reading one of my fics, welcome. If you've read any of my other fics (Twilight or other fandom), welcome. And if you're actually one of the people that read any of my Twilight fics when they were still being updated...well, you're in the minority and I thank you for giving me another chance. The last time I actually updated any of my Twilight fics was back when I was in...probably eighth grade, so I'd like to think that my writing style has matured since I last wrote for this fandom.**

**I've been reading a lot of imprint fics lately, and as much as I like them, I'm getting tired of seeing pretty much the same few characters being used over and over again with only a few variations between each fic. A lot of the imprintees I've been reading about have been abused or raped or neglected or are just extremely self-conscious and shy. It's true that there a lot of people like this in the real world. But that's old hat by now. I wanted to give a voice to a new imprint. That's what I hope to do with this fic, if I continue it.**

**I don't really have anything else to say right now, so I guess I'll wrap this up. Thank you for reading this test run of Beauty Queen, and I hope to hear from you soon.**** The fate of Juliette Emerson and Teagan rests in your hands.**

**Ciao for now!**


	2. She's a Downtown Girl

Chapter 2 – She's a Downtown Girl

I hate small towns. I am a big city girl. Always have been, always will be. Before today, the smallest town that I had ever set foot in had a population of 50,000 people. Forks, Washington had a meager population of less than 5,000. Almost everyone here knows almost everyone else. It's ridiculously tragic, and I'm not sure how Juliette could live like this. I'm only going to be here for about a month, and I'm already cringing at the thought.

After what seemed like nine million hours, we finally arrived at Jules' house. It was a decent size, about three stories and a larger-than-average sized backyard. The front of the house was a brightly energetic garden with – oh dear god – a white picket fence. As we unloaded my suitcases from the back of her Prius, Jules' mother came racing out of the house, arms spread wide and the most ridiculous grin adorning her face.

"Teagan Avery!" she seemed to shriek, "It's such a pleasure to see you again!" She approached me and flung her arms around me, giving me a big bear hug that I was not at all receptive towards. She barely even knows me, for goodness sake. She's acting like I'm here to personally see her, even though I'm definitely here for her daughter.

Amanda Emerson is the biggest wannabe stage mother that I've ever met. Back when she was about my age, she won a little pageant in some town in eastern Washington, and after that she became obsessed with pageants. She never won any others, though. So now that she's too old, her dream is to turn her daughters into beauty queens like me. But Juliette would rather paint, Amber loves dirt-biking, and Virginia dreams of being a veterinarian. They were all disappointments to Amanda, and Jules had informed me that her mother's new goal is to convince me to date – and possibly marry – any of her three sons: Jordan, Henry, or Russell. I'd never met any of the boys, but from what Jules said, they were all insanely annoying. Nevertheless, Amanda was clearly on a mission. Oh joy.

"Um…hello, Mrs. Emerson. Thank you for allowing me to stay with you." My smile was weak and forced, and I could see Jules obviously trying to hold in her snickers. I gave her a look that I know screamed 'Help me!', and she smirked before coming over and prying her mom off of me. I could breathe again. These small town women had a lot of muscle, as I would realize soon enough in the coming weeks.

"No no no, thank you! I can't believe that such a big star's going to be living with us! And please, Teagan, just call me Amanda! You're practically part of the family now, with how much Juliette talks about you!" she gushed. I bit my lip in frustration. That's how she wants to play it? Okay, whatever, works for me. Maybe this means I'll get to do what I want while I'm here, and I'm all for that.

"Mom, I'm sure Teagan wants to get settled in," Jules hinted, and her mom scowled slightly at her. I could tell that she was hoping to lavish me with more compliments in order to get on my good side. Fame-grubbers are everywhere. It made me wonder if she'd heard the latest rumors yet…

"I suppose you're right, Juliette." Amanda grabbed two of the suitcases and began lugging them inside. Looking at each other and shrugging, Jules and I each grabbed the handle of one of the other two bags and followed her mom inside. Reaching the doorway, Amanda turned around and smiled sweetly at me again. "Teagan, you have to tell us all about Preston Dean! I've heard rumors of you starring in his next movie! True? Not true? Is he as hot in person as he is on-screen? You have to spill –"

"Mom!" Jules whined, "Leave her alone! She just got here!" I smiled at her gratefully. Her mom was just a tad bit insane. A month with this woman would not be the piece of cake I originally imagined it to be.

"You said you had plans for us, right?" I quickly asked, trying to direct the conversation away from any mention of movies and/or Preston Dean. That would come later, should I decide to talk about it at all. But I wasn't in the mood right now.

Immediately, Jules blushed. Oh, what have we here? She was embarrassed about something? This was going to be good. "Yeah. Um…I thought we might go to this bonfire down on the reservation…"

I grinned, rather childishly if I do say so myself. "Is there something you want to tell me, Miss Juliette? Is there a boy there?" One of the few things that we never talked about was boys. I never met any on the pageant circuit, and Jules claimed that she simply had no time for them. She was always too busy reading or working on her art. I love her, but she's actually a rather boring person.

Her mother let out a rather un-motherly screech, and I did my best to be polite and not cover my ears. Damn, that woman was loud. "A boy? Juliette Isabelle Emerson, have you finally found a boy that has stolen your heart? What does he look like? Is he tall? Is he short? Thin? Buff? Blonde hair, brown hair, red hair, or black hair? Is he rich? I'm sure he's rich! Oh, I'm just so happy for you, my dear! This calls for –"

"Mom!" Juliette's face was fully flushed now. I felt kind of bad for starting her mom off on this tangent, but I was also highly amused. I had no one to give me a reaction like this should I ever actually get time to be interested in a boy. I mean, there's Catherine, but I'm pretty sure her reaction to me having a crush would be on the absolute opposite end of the spectrum. The thought made me rather sad, but I shrugged it off.

"What's his name? Do you have his number?" I teased, and she shot me a glare that should've been able to stone-cold kill me. Luckily, they have yet to figure out a way to make looks kill, so I was still alive and standing, ready to poke more fun at her. Maybe having a best friend wasn't so bad, after all. Why did it take me so long to get one?

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" Amanda and I chanted. As annoying as her mother was, she was also like a grown-up teenager, which I was rather enjoying at the moment. Her eyes were bright and her grin was legitimately cheerful rather than being the mask that it was earlier. I guess she wasn't so bad when she was focusing on how famous I was. But seriously, doesn't she have any manners? You don't just go and ask your daughter's best friend if the rumors about her are true or false. That's just rude. Even I know that.

Shrieking in frustration, Jules hurriedly lifted my suitcase up and rushed inside. She thought she could get away from this interrogation that easily? I think not. I grabbed the other case and followed after her, albeit at a slightly slower pace. I'd never been here before, and I decided I might as well take it all in.

The front door opened into an entryway, where a staircase immediately ahead led up to the second floor. Under the staircase was a rounded doorway that looked to lead to a library. To the right of the entryway was the dining room; to the left was the living room. The suitcase Jules had been carrying sat at the foot of the stairs, so shrugging to myself, I left my burden there as well. The dining room was empty, I noticed as I stuck my head in, as was the kitchen that connected. I figured she wouldn't have left me to fend for myself in such a new environment, which meant she hadn't gone upstairs. That could only mean one thing: she was in the living room.

Any other teenager would've snuck into the living room, trying to surprise their friend as payback for abandoning them. Not me. I liked to make an entrance, so I swept into the large room like I sweep onto stage for the evening gown and swimsuit portions of competition: head up, long legs, slightly swaying arms, stomach sucked in, shoulders back, chest forward, the works. And yes, I've had several offers for modeling jobs, but I've yet to actually accept one.

Sitting on the large rectangular sofa that took up most of the space was Jules, along with three of the most attractive men that I've ever laid my eyes on (trust me, I have seen some of the most handsome guys in the country). One of them was large and thickly-built with a blond fauxhawk and serious blue eyes; one was muscular and medium-height with floppy dirty-blond hair and warm brown eyes; one was tall, lanky and brunette with blue-green eyes that seemed to dance even in the partial shade that fell upon him. These must be Jordan, Henry and Russell. Why hadn't Jules ever told me that they were hot?

I cleared my throat, smirking as they turned to look at me. I expected popped-out eyes and dropped jaws and lolling tongues. Boys tend to get very nervous and tongue-tied around me, which is really rather entertaining. But these boys didn't. The blond one nodded at me with a half-smile, the dirty-blond one whistled at me briefly, and the brunette winked at me with a sly smirk. Oh, they're confident, that's new. Variety is the spice of life, as they say.

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**A/N: Okay, so I got a few reviews, and they were all rather nice, which I appreciate immensely. Thank you for the constructive criticism, it's very helpful, m'dears. So, I don't know how well this chapter is going to come across, since I just rapidly wrapped up the chapter because I wanted to get it posted. Umm...I don't really know what to say because I don't really have anything to say...Teagan and I thank you for the positive response so far, and I hope to here from y'all soon!**


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